Impregnator.



' F. B. GRAHAM.

IMPREGNATOR. APPLICATION IILBD JAN- 2, 1-908.

- Patented Sept. 29,'1908.

LVi hi eases FRANK BRUCE GRAHAM, OF GARNETT, KANSAS.

IMPRE G-NATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

Application filed January 2, 1908. Serial No. 408,951.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK BRUCE GRA- HAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Garnett, in the county of Anderson and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Impregnator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an instrument of the syringe type for artificially impregnating the females of various animals; and has for one of its objects to provide an instrument of such form and size that it may be wholly inserted into the vagina of an animal and be permitted to remain there without great inconvenience to her until it has been raised to the normal temperature of the animal s body. The impregnator is then removed from the vagina, charged with seminal fluid and introduced into the uterus of an animal to be impregnated and the contents injected thereinto.

Another object of the invention resides in the construction of the impregnator barrel or cylinder which is made double and the space between filled with a non-conductor of heat to preserve the temperature within the cylinder as uniform as possible. To further assist in maintaining an equal temperature, the piston is made with-two heads havinga dead air s ace between them, the nozzle is of rubber as 1s the cap closing the opposite end of the cylinder.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for determining the temperature of the interior of the impregnator and for this purpose a thermometer is applied to the piston rod in such manner that it will not interfere with the movement of the piston rod as it travels in and out through the open-' ing in the end cap.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed andillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the impregnator held in a hand to indicateits relative size; Fig. 2'is'an outside view of'the instrument attached to the inserting rod; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central sectional view of the impregnator onan enlarged scale; and Fig. 4 is a cross section of Fig. 3 on theline 44.

Similar reference numerals are used for the same parts in all the figures.

The impregnator consists essentially of a cylinder orbarrel 1 in which is a piston 2 moved longitudinally in the barrel 1 by a piston rod 3, assing through a cap 4 on one end of the cy inder, the opposite end having an open nozzle 5.

- The cylinder 1 of the instrument is made of two spaced concentric tubes 6 and 7- of metal or hard rubber, between which tubes is placed a filling or packing 8 of vulcanized ru ber, mineral wool, asbestos or some other equally good non-conductor of heat. At one end of the cylinder a rubber ring 9 is inserted between the tubes 6 and 7 to retain the filling 8 in lace. The soft rubber cap-4 is fitted tight y over this end of the tube, through the head of which is made a central perforation for the piston rod 3 and, if retracted too far, the piston 2 can also pass through the perforation which will enlarge under pressure. At the opposite end of the cylinder is the nozzle 5, ta ered as shown and having an outlet 10 smal er than the bore of the cylinder to prevent the seminal fluid esca ing unintentionally therefrom. The nozz e extends between the tubes 6 and 7 and is securely fas: tened to one or both tubes, and the end of the inner tube 6 extends into the nozzle beyond the end of the outer tube. The end of the nozzle 5 is formed with a series of notches 11 to prevent the folds of the vagina closing the end when suction is induced in the cylinder for the purpose of gathering semen from the germs of reproduction in the j space 14 at the outer end of the bore of the p cylinder to assist in preventing the loss of heat by radiation and conduction when the instrument is charged. it is preferred how ever to construct the piston rod as shown, or

in some equivalent manner. Referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the piston rod 3 is made partly of a tubular section 15 within which is placed a small thermometer 16, secured against movement in any suitable manner.

of the piston rod for protection and to permit uninterrupted movement of the rod through the cap. The outer end of the piston rod carries a disk 17 having a central threaded perforation for fastening the disk Both the bulb and stem of the thermometer are placed below the periphery,

to the piston rod 3-, and for attaching thereto a curved inserting rod 18 which after introducing the impregnator into the vagina, may be removed by unscrewing it from the disk. The inserting rod is suitably curved so that an operator may, without trouble, place the instrument in the uterus when a charge is to be injected therein. For convenience of manipulation, the outer end of the inserting rod is formed into an eye 19 or has attached thereto some other form of handle.

Experiments in artificial impregnation of animals have been carried on for a number of years with more or less satisfactory results. Among the principal causes for failure one has been due to contact of chilled instruments with the semen another, by failing to inject directly into the womb the small amount of seminal fluid necessary for vitalizing the ovum. To overcome these objections and increase the percentage of success ful operations, the impregnator is preferably made no longer than the width of the hand, as represented in Fig. 1, so that it may be placed -rod may be removed if desired.

within the vagina of the animal to be impregnated by means of the inserting rod and allowed to remain there a suitable time. The I11 this manner the instrument is heated to the exact temperature of the animals body and when charged, the seminal fluid can be kept at the proper termperature outside the body for several minutes by holding the impregnator in the closed hand, the time being sufficient for an experienced person to impregnate one or more animals without artificial heat or reheating the instrument in the vama. g Placing the impregnator wholly Within the vagina of an animal to be bred and permitting it to remain there a sufficient length of time has been found by experience to be the only way to heat the instrument to the and latitude, change of feed are some of the causes which roduee a change of temperature in anima s. It follows, therefore, that artificial means for heating the impregnator are uncertain and can never be depended on, and the only safe way to heat the instrument is by the natural heat of the animal in the manner described.

That a small impregnator is sufficient for the purpose will be understood when it is known that in about twelve to fifteen drops of semen there are between forty-thousand and fifty-thousand spermatozoids or sperm cells and but one spermatozoid is necessary to cause fertilization. It can be seen, therefore, that six or more animals, such as mares, can be bred with convenience and safety in a short time by one service of the horse if the instrument be kept at the proper temperature. If an animal that has known themale is to be bred by the impregnator, as is necessary at times, it is best to heat the instrument by filling it with warm air before placing it in the vagina to receive the exact temperature. This will prevent the destruction of spermatozoids by the cold instrument.

To use the impregnator, in breeding horses for instance, after it has been heated in the manner hereinbefore described, it is withdrawn and inserted in the uterus of a mare which has just been served and the cylinder filled by pulling the inserting red, the walls of the vagina holding the cylinder until it has been filled. Continued pulling of the rod withdraws the impregnator which is immediately introduced into the uterus of a mare to be bred and its contents discharged. This action is repeated with other mares until the seminal fluid is exhausted. By partly withdrawing the impregnator at the time its temperature is being'raised and reading the thermometer, the operator can positively determine when the maximum degree of heat has been reached. Also, while using the instrument for im )regnating, a glance at the thermometer wiil show when the temperature in the cylinder has fallen too low for 1 success and reheating is necessary.

On some occasions in extreme cold weather after the impregnator has been heated in the vagina, the outer tube 6 cools sooner than the inner one; it therefore bOCOlTlCS necessary to reheat the outer tube by some artificial means without affecting the inner tube 7 to any extent or the bore thereof. To accomplish this result the outer tube 6 must be made of metal or other good. conductor of heat and the inner tube 7 of a non-conductor. A small quantity of oil and acid may then be mixed and introduced between the two tubes. The heat generated by the mixture heats the outer tube of conductor material but not the inner one of rubber or other heat resisting material. Preferably the oil should be in the space between the tubes so that a small quantity of acid could be added uickl T b r removin the rubber riir S) for instance or by any other approved means, and the space be kept tightly closed so as to cause no injury to the operator or the animal. This means of reheating should not often be necessary.

What is claimed is:

1. An impregnator comprising a syringe adapted to be placed wholly within the vagina of an animal there to be heated, and a rod. attached to the piston rod of the syringe for inserting and withdrawing the syringe and operating the piston thereof.

2. An impregnator comprising a syringe adapted to be placed wholly within the vagina of an animal there to be heated, and a the syringe for inserting and withdrawing ing rod attached to the piston rod of the syringe for operating said syringe.

4. An impregnator comprising a syringe,

a heat insulating cover therefor, a soft resilient nozzle on one end of said syringe, two spaced pistons with a dead air space between, and a piston rod.

5. An impregnator comprising a syringe having a heat insulated cy inder, a soft rub ber nozzle on one end and a cap of similar material on the opposite end, a plston, a piston rod having a groove on one side adapted todcarry a thermometer, and an inserting ro 6. An impregnator comprisin a syringe having a double tubed cylinden a lining of heat insulating material between the tubes, a soft resilient nozzle at one end of said syringe, and an annular closure at the opposite end between said tubes for retaining said insulating material in place.

7. An impregnator comprising a syringe having a cylinder formed of two concentric tubes, a heat insulating material between said tubes, a double piston, and a piston rod provided with a longitudinal groove in one side adapted to carry a thermometer,

' 8. An impregnator comprising a syringe having a cylinder formed of two concentric tubes, a heat insulating material between said tubes, a tapered nozzle having a notched inlet, a double piston, a piston rod adapted to contain a thermometer, and an inserting rod removably attached to the piston rod.

, 9. An impregnator comprising a syringe having a heat insulated cylinder, a removable cap therefor having a soft rubber head with a central perforation, a piston rod slidable' through said perforation in the rubber head, and a piston on said rod adapted to pass through said opening when expanded.

10. An impregnator comprising a syringe having a cylinder formed of two concentric tubes, a heat insulating material between said tubes, a tapering nozzle fastened on one end of the cylinder between the tubes and having a notched inlet, a cap on the opposite end of said cylinder having a soft rubber head, a piston fastened to a piston rod the latter slidable through a perforation in said head and adapted to carry a thermometer, and an insertlng rod removably secured to the piston rod for lacing the syringe wholly into the vagina 0 an animal.

11. An impregnator comprising a syringe having a heat conducting outer tube, a concentric heat resisting inner tube and a heat producing chemical adapted tobe placed between the two tubes for raising the temperature of the outer tube.

12. An impregnator comprising a syringe having a heat conducting outer tube, a concentric heat resisting inner tube and a combination of oil and acid adapted to be placed between the two tubes for increasing the temperature of the outer tube.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK BRUCE GRAHAM.

Witnesses:

R. 0. FORD, F. A. DOTTS. 

